TCS Sydney Marathon
Sydney, Australia
- Marathon, Wheelchair Marathon, 5K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
The TCS Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS is the seventh Abbott World Marathon Major! Almost 33,000 marathon runners crossed a historic finish line, marking Sydney’s first ever Abbott World Marathon Major. From first-time runners to seasoned marathoners, they’ve left their mark on the streets of Sydney. Whether conquering 42.2km, powering … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Aug 29):
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| H (°C) | 21 | 25 | 21 | 19 | 18 |
| L (°C) | 10 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 8 |
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
Great Race, Organizers Actively Listened
What Worked: The Expo had tons of gear for purchase, and the overall flow allowed for essentials shopping. Feeling more like a sponsors' showcase than a vendor superstore, I wouldn't … MORE
What Worked: The Expo had tons of gear for purchase, and the overall flow allowed for essentials shopping. Feeling more like a sponsors’ showcase than a vendor superstore, I wouldn’t recommend relying on it for *all* your pre-race needs. Day 1 was absolute chaos, yet on Day 2 they made all corrections to open up the customer flow, increase points of sale, and relocate the customization booths.
On to the race day. What worked was the ease of transport to the assembly areas. Do *not* come early, or you’ll be asked to wait for your assigned entry time. Arrive at the designated time for your wave. The Green assembly area was large enough to accommodate hundreds, with plenty of portajohns – there are none in the corrals/chutes. Along the course, support was strong.
On to the race. The course had a steep downhill onto the Harbour Bridge, with the contrasting steeper climbs after the 7 mile mark at Pitt Street. Afterwards, the hills rolled, the elevation chart making it appear more sharp than it felt. The final few miles were almost entirely downhill. Streets were wide to support the crowds of runners except around Mrs Macquarie’s Street, where there was a (maybe?) 4-meter wide choke point supporting both directions. The finish chute and area was smooth to get around. Post-race amenities were standard fare with vendors and sponsors, the lawn great for relaxing and catching your breath whilst overlooking the beautiful harbour views.
What needed improvement: The onslaught of visitors on Day 1 of the expo was a bit of a clue, to be honest. Though it had been fixed, the theme of big race with relaxed organization emerged at the afterparty. A single pedestrian bridge over Macquarie Street required a queue to cross, it was otherwise unclear how to exit the park. Don’t be in a rush to leave! I hope this would change for next year, at least for safety’s sake.
TL;DNR? Great course, great merch selection yet crowds tend to gather, and lapses in organization were dealt with calmly and quickly.
Amazing city to explore and race in!
Where to begin-this race was WONDERFUL! I was selected through lottery for the first running of Sydney as a WMM, and it was my first major as well. I PR'ed … MORE
Where to begin-this race was WONDERFUL! I was selected through lottery for the first running of Sydney as a WMM, and it was my first major as well. I PR’ed significantly (the hills are rolling and definitely gave me some boost on the downhill), there were friendly and supportive crowds all along the course, the atmosphere around the city was incredible heading into the race day. Sydney will only continue to boom in popularity and the city itself is 100% worth spending time in and exploring, so enter while you still can before it becomes insane! My only nitpicks were the ASICS booth being crazy on Thursday morning at the expo (and you had to walk through it to escape) and the exits post race needed more ways for pedestrians to leave the Royal Botanic Garden area. I finished at 1 pm and couldn’t get out of downtown until almost 2:30 with the queues to cross Macquarie and no buses/light rail running on time (due to a weekly protest that happens? Seems like one day the city council could cancel it lol). Overall though it was the trip and race of a lifetime, finishing at the Opera House after exploring all the main sights of Sydney along the course was something I’ll never forget!
Great race, huge crowd
This was the first year ever for Sydney as a World Major. This meant there tons of people from all over the globe participating. There were plenty of volunteers along … MORE
This was the first year ever for Sydney as a World Major. This meant there tons of people from all over the globe participating. There were plenty of volunteers along the way. I liked going across the Sydney Harbor Bridge, the different aspects of the city and I even passed the back of hotel I was staying at. The course finish ended near the Opera House.
Great scenic views
There were plenty of inclines and declines throughout the course. I train on flat terrain, but this was not terrible to me. The course had adequate hydration stations throughout. The … MORE
There were plenty of inclines and declines throughout the course. I train on flat terrain, but this was not terrible to me. The course had adequate hydration stations throughout. The volunteers and the city of Sydney really showed out and supported this race in its first year as a World Major. The views throughout the course kept me motivated and pushing forward. The initial 5km onto the Sydney Harbor Bridge was amazing, and the finish at the Opera House was truly an emotional experience. I went to the expo on the first day, and it was chaotic. They needed to expand the Asics merchandise area and structure the checkout line, which, from what I heard, they rectified on the 2nd day of the Expo. Overall, runners need to be a little kinder and have some respect for one another. Lots of apparel was thrown to the floor while looking for sizes, and others did not have the patience to look through items. The public transportation around the city was inexpensive and useful for touring the area. There were also lots of food options everywhere!
Mini 5K, Maximum Patience
What Worked: Bib pick up for the 5K "Mini-Marathon" was at the runner expo, which requires gathering on Thursday or Friday. Transport to the start was efficient, way finding made … MORE
What Worked: Bib pick up for the 5K “Mini-Marathon” was at the runner expo, which requires gathering on Thursday or Friday. Transport to the start was efficient, way finding made getting to where you had to be simple. Keep your head up!
The race itself was straight forward, as a minor directional change compared to where the marathon concludes the following day. Slight rolling uphill to start, then around Mrs Maquarie’s, back out for a hairpin, and returning down Macquarie towards the Opera House. There was a medal for the finish, which was nice, and no other swag – if that’s your thing. Overall it was a great preview of those final hills and what to expect for the race.
What Could Have Been Better: Registration was focused solely on the honor system. If you said you could finish in under 27-minutes, you were in Corral A. This was perhaps too generous. Though I was propped up towards the front, there were runners ahead moving at a far slower pace. With the various choke points at the start and around Mrs Macquaries, this made dodging a bit treacherous.
TL;DNR? This is a great warmup race if you’re looking for a final “engine check” for the marathon, yet don’t take it too seriously. If registering, please be honest about the time you’ll finish your race to keep traffic fair.
Love Sydney
Very well done race, 35,000 marathon runners, 20,000 1/2 marathon runners. lots of hills, sea level, long start, good party, good folks. Transportation to the race is great, lots to … MORE
Very well done race, 35,000 marathon runners, 20,000 1/2 marathon runners. lots of hills, sea level, long start, good party, good folks. Transportation to the race is great, lots to do in this city. You will love this race.
Major Next Year!
Very nice course, started with a nice long downhill with the exeption of the bridge. Not too crowded once the initial mile was over. I didn't find any of the … MORE
Very nice course, started with a nice long downhill with the exeption of the bridge. Not too crowded once the initial mile was over. I didn’t find any of the rolling hills challenging. My start was about 40 minutes behind schedule waiting for earlier waves to get by. Beautiful finish with a long 2k downhill. Good mount of hydration stops and nutrition. Will repeat when it becomes a major!
To the far end of the Planet.
A beautiful race, it runs right by the 2nd largest church ( Catholic ) in the world. Pictures attached. Runs through Sydney, over the Bay Bridge, through parks etc. by … MORE
A beautiful race, it runs right by the 2nd largest church ( Catholic ) in the world. Pictures attached. Runs through Sydney, over the Bay Bridge, through parks etc. by the church, ends up at the opera house. Lots of runners, 3 races. A bunch of hills, good course. An amazing place,very clear.
A Seventh Star is Born 🌟
BOTTOM LINE: This August, when Sydney hosts the largest marathon in the city’s history, it will do so as the newest and most beautiful member of the Abbott World Marathon … MORE
BOTTOM LINE: This August, when Sydney hosts the largest marathon in the city’s history, it will do so as the newest and most beautiful member of the Abbott World Marathon Majors. Not to throw shade on the other six Majors (Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, and NYC)—each has its own unique charm, and I’m fortunate to have run them all. But Sydney boasts arguably the most beautiful cityscape in the world, and its marathon smartly plays to that strength. With an opening mile across Harbour Bridge overlooking the sparkling Sydney Harbour, a segment through Darling Harbour (which owes its global celebrity to the Disney movie “Finding Nemo”), and arguably the best finish line in the world at the steps of the Sydney Opera House, Sydney is a marathon you’ll love yourself for running and a city you’ll love yourself for visiting.
I ran the race in 2023 in its second year as a candidate race for the World Marathon Majors. Meaning, the organizers were dealing with all the growing pains you’d expect from a race that was trying to grow its finisher numbers from fewer than 3,500 in 2022 to 20,000+ just two years later (with 35,000+ expected in 2025). With that in mind, and on an unusually hot day, the race understandably had the feel of a work in progress, as several aid stations struggled to meet the demand caused by the perfect storm of higher numbers and hotter weather. Accordingly, I adjusted my expectations and crossed the finish line upright and with a smile on my face, heat and all. The organizers did enough things right, and the course itself was so visually stunning, that I feel it’s appropriate to grade the Sydney Marathon on a curve based on its future potential rather than its frenetic growth phase. And on that score, Sydney will soon be tops in its class. This despite the fact it will also be the hilliest of the Majors, with its current course measuring 1,000+ ft of elevation gain.
During our time in Australia we visited (among other attractions) three zoos/wildlife parks and three white-sand beaches, plus one of the seven natural wonders of the world in the Great Barrier Reef. So I can vouch that Sydney is the ultimate destination race. If you haven’t already, check out the rest of my race report for the nitty-gritty with answers to all the what, when, where, why and how questions. Then do yourself a favor, mate, and make plans to run the Sydney Marathon. Much like the other Majors, general entry is now via a lottery, but don’t let that dissuade you—there are other ways to gain entry, as any World Marathon Majors aficionado can attest.
PRODUCTION: As mentioned above, here I prefer to channel my inner Wayne Gretzky and skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been (a hockey analogy for Australia, yikes). Yes, the 2023 Sydney Marathon experienced its share of growing pains as the organizers introduced a new course, reimagined the pre-race expo, and ironed out kinks on the fly in the midst of unprecedented growth and high heat. But it’s clear they care a lot, so all the trial and error presumably amounted to invaluable lessons learned for a race day that will soon be among the most popular in the world. And honestly, I was well aware when I registered that growth was the #1 goal for Sydney in 2023. My only regret is that the powers-that-be didn’t award us a star (which would have been my 7th) for being among the faithful who helped to elevate a fledgling candidate race to World Marathon Major status.
SWAG: As a medal maniac coming from a country that tends to (over)emphasize its race swag, I like to temper my expectations for international races. Sydney, however, rose to the occasion with a more attractive finisher medal than any of the other three international Majors, a sky blue-and-silver-plated souvenir that smartly depicts—as it should every year, like the Boston unicorn—the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. The medal also includes the Abbott World Marathon Majors logo below the label “CANDIDATE RACE” as a reminder that no, you didn’t earn a star for your efforts this time (jk Sydney!). Fortunately, ASICS signed on as the presenting sponsor in the months before the marathon so the short-sleeve, navy blue finisher shirt—which, as the name implies, was available at the finish line—likewise turned out to be a pleasant surprise, even if ASICS ran out of time to produce much else in the way of marathon merch before race day.
Beautiful, needs to improve for 7th WMM
My first time running Sydney Marathon. I have run over 75 marathons it the past 14 years, including 13 Bostons, 4 NYC, 2 Londons, Chicago, Berlin, Tokyo (next year), and … MORE
My first time running Sydney Marathon.
I have run over 75 marathons it the past 14 years, including 13 Bostons, 4 NYC, 2 Londons, Chicago, Berlin, Tokyo (next year), and many US full marathons with times of 3:21-3:50 in the past, but slowed down to 4:00-5:00 this past year due to new job and no training.
I’ve visited Sydney a few times and love the city. Great for hosting an Abbott World Marathon Major as they are a Candidate Race.
Even though Sydney Marathon has grown a lot locally, there’s a lot of improvements to work on to be a WMM. The logistics and support here was more like a Rock n Roll Half Marathon race in the US, not a World Major. My feedback for the race organizers:
– Sydney is a wonderful city to host a WMM – very international, lots of hotels, extensive and easy public transport, very modern, very friendly and safe.
– Course is beautiful, especially in the 1st half and finish. The section around Centennial Park is a bit boring with lots of out-and-backs to make the distance.
– Parts of the course need larger roads. Some streets are narrow 1-lane each way (with all the out-and-backs), and runners were squeezed.
– Expo was nice but small. Inconvenient location this year with runners needing to take a train plus a shuttle bus, and shuttles were infrequent with long lines.
– Expo needs more staffing. e.g. the ASICS store checkout (main sponsor) had just 3 registers, compared to 30-40 at the other majors.
– Expo had no Info/Solutions desk or was hard to find. I was asking around if runners get a race shirt at the Expo and no one knew the answer.
– Expo’s custom imprinting on store items was nice but understaffed. Just 2 machines with long lines, and staff was dealing with other issues 50% of the time instead of just running the machines.
– Participant Guide (souvenir book with all the ads and all the logistics details) was nice but online only, NOT in a PDF format. Need to zoom in to see details, and every time you change pages, it would automatically zoom out again. Awkward to find needed info.
– The Marathon and 10K courses finished at the Opera House, wonderful location! The Half Marathon and 3.5K courses finished 500m up the street, not so exciting, sad for them.
– All courses started at Bradford Park, under the north side of the Harbour Bridge. The only way for everyone to get here was by train, exiting at the Milsons Point station next door, and walk down. Great for races with 40,000 registered. Not enough space in the park (let alone the port-a-potties), corrals, and train platform and exits to clear everyone out safely, with big backups on the platforms and incoming trains. The other Majors have at least 3-4X the space at their Start Villages.
– Finish Village in the Botanical Gardens next to the Opera House is nice but could be spaced out better. T-shirts, electrolytes, bananas were all placed close to each other (all within 50m) with minimal staffing, so huge crowd and bottleneck there at entrance to Garden. Bag check was spaced out further away, well placed.
– Race course was beautiful along the water and city streets. Not so many spectators, and it didn’t pass through many neighborhoods.
– Biggest issue was low staffing of aid station volunteers, and aid stations too far apart (first one at 5K) and every 2.5K after that. For this hot day (and for a Major) need twice as frequent aid stations.
– Aid station staffing was low. Due to forecasted heat wave, more water was delivered, but not enough staff were putting out cups and filling cups. At one station, only 10 staff, and 3-4 staff were putting out cups, and 3-4 staff were pouring from pitches, with big crowd of runners waiting for cups and water.
Pardon all the criticism, but I’ll be sending this feedback to the Post-Race survey. I hope Sydney will grow up fast to be a WMM Major soon.
I know many of my runner friends are considering going to the Abbott WMM Age Group Championship at next year’s Sydney, including myself, so heads up on some potential issues, and hopefully improvements next year as well.
Promising
I was pleasantly surprised by the fun positive vibes put on by my home city, which in my view has been losing its fun vibe progressively over the years. Fun … MORE
I was pleasantly surprised by the fun positive vibes put on by my home city, which in my view has been losing its fun vibe progressively over the years. Fun music, quirky characters and cheering crowds all unexpected but welcome. Organisition leading up to the race was good and the expo was fun and well organised. I was left confused about the baggage transfers and felt they could’ve communicated better about that. The course was good, with a bridge start and opera house finish. I did think there was too much time in centennial park. I found the race a bit crowded, was always adjusting my pace to dodge or take over people. In typical Australian style the food was meagre, just water and electrolytes and the occasional gel, I do get embarrassed about that. Probably the nanny state to blame there. But generally I was proud of it. I hope they can make further improvements over the coming years.
Sydney is not ready for the Majors
Marathoners started after the half-marathoners in brutal heat. We were on gun time not chip time, so for those of us in the back of the pack, we were screwed. … MORE
Marathoners started after the half-marathoners in brutal heat. We were on gun time not chip time, so for those of us in the back of the pack, we were screwed. Hydration stations became sparse in the last half of the course; I was hosed down with salt water; and there was no shade or ice in 90 degree temps. I DNF’d at mile 22.
Overall a horrible experience for the huge expense to travel from the USA.
Sydney a world major? Needs to improve.
I have run a number of Sydney marathons over the last 37 years and was eager to run 2023 to see how it has progressed in its quest to be … MORE
I have run a number of Sydney marathons over the last 37 years and was eager to run 2023 to see how it has progressed in its quest to be a world major. In a nutshell I think it has many areas for improvement.
One had to attend the expo which was located in industrial area and not serviced by public transport – had to catch feeder buses from closest train stations and the feeder buses were a bit disjointed. The expo was big enough for me though very little promotional items available.
Everyone knows that Sydney has a lot to offer scenery wise, that is a given and a big plus. Sections of the course highlighted some of the scenic foreshore and of course crossing the harbour bridge but running multiple times around parts of Centennial Park and back and forth laneways before and after the park was mind numbing.
Access to the start area was chaotic with Milsons Point station unable to cope with the volume of people – big crushes to get off the actual platform and exiting the station.
Availability of portaloos at the start was very poor, I waited 35 minutes in queue. Was very crowded accessing the start area (large sections of the park from which the race started were barricaded off which made it difficult to move at times.
Organisers continue to have half marathon, plus this year 10k run, starting prior to the marathon which means the actual marathon didn’t start till 7:10am on a day with a forecast temp of 30 degrees Celsius. Many of the wave C runners didn’t start till about 7:40 or later (by which time a lot of the half marathon runners would have been able to finish and escape the heat) which meant they wouldn’t expect to finish till between 12 – 2pm in the hottest part of the day.
Spectators were fabulous compared to other Australian marathons but I can’t compare to other majors as haven’t done any of them.
Bands and singers on the course – great for some but I would prefer more portaloos at the start.
Finishing at the Opera House was great but having to do the Mrs Macquarie loop in the last 3 km was nasty for me with its hill.
Will I do it again – yes because I would like to see organisers improve on the offering.
Very scenic but not designed or run well
Numerous out and back with 180 degree turns orange cones that slows the overall pace and results in many people cheating by short cutting the cones. The course goes over … MORE
Numerous out and back with 180 degree turns orange cones that slows the overall pace and results in many people cheating by short cutting the cones. The course goes over numerous curbs, which is not ideal. Zero nutrition at the race finish, only water. Minimal spectators on the course. This race is immature and not professional relative to Berlin, New York, Chicago, Boston, London, California International, et al.
Most beautiful run
Running over the bridge was the least impressive part. Most beautiful run I have ever had. Swag, expo, and finish line refreshments are an American phenomenon, don’t expect the same … MORE
Running over the bridge was the least impressive part. Most beautiful run I have ever had. Swag, expo, and finish line refreshments are an American phenomenon, don’t expect the same here. Only down side was that I was enjoying the scenery so much I was on an easy run. Could have run faster and the finish line was a surprise with plenty of gas still in the tank.
Lots of switch backs
The weather in Sydney around the race event is usually good for running with sunny and mild temperatures. Public transport to the event makes getting to the start line easy … MORE
The weather in Sydney around the race event is usually good for running with sunny and mild temperatures. Public transport to the event makes getting to the start line easy and entrants receiving free travel on the day. The expo/race swag is very basic don’t expect much more than receiving your bib number. The course itself starts at the harbour bridge and finishes at the Sydney Opera house two iconic sites which show off Sydney to its best. Unfortunately there are a LOT of switch backs on the course that I didn’t enjoy. The course spends a lot of distance in Centennial Park switching back and forth. In the last kms of the race it switches back again sending you onto a section of motorway when you are nearly within eyesight of the finish.
The drink stations were well run but I felt there could have been more. Spectators and entertainment were sparse, really only at the end there were a few spectators cheering on their loved ones.
There was no food offered at the end of the race, which really surprised me, I was only offered a water bottle. This definitely needs to change. I’ve run seven marathons and this was the first time no food/bananas or recovery drink had been offered. I received a finishers shirt and medal. Overall Sydney is a great location for an event like this but felt this was an expensive Marathon to enter and didn’t stack up in terms of generosity and support to other events I’ve run.
Stunning Sydney city harbour run
A very well organsied event. Stunning route traversing the harbour bridge, through the city, parks and back to numerous quays around Syndey harbour and ending at the Opera House. Starting … MORE
A very well organsied event. Stunning route traversing the harbour bridge, through the city, parks and back to numerous quays around Syndey harbour and ending at the Opera House. Starting at about eight defgrees and rising to 14 through the run.
Scenic course
The Sydney half marathon was the first half and oversea race for me. Having done a few full marathons, I thought this would be a walk in the park and … MORE
The Sydney half marathon was the first half and oversea race for me. Having done a few full marathons, I thought this would be a walk in the park and boy was I wrong. Did not expect so many inclines for this race because I was previously under the assumption that this course was relatively flat. Weather was perfect with little to no wind and lots of sunshine. There wasn’t much entertainment on course, but the scenery more than made up for it. The city made a very good effort to turn this into a good experience for runners by ceasing all traffic on the Sydney Harbor Bridge during the run (unlike another race I’ve done where they’ve only allocated a few lanes for the runners on the bridge while cars were zooming by you on the other side) and free transportation for the entire day with show of bib during race day. Finishing at the Opera House was absolutely stunning and made this a very memorable experience for me. I hope to be back for the full next time when I visit again!
On a side note, there wasn’t much swag as half marathoners didn’t get a finisher shirt, but I can’t complain much since we still got a leg massage post race in the recovery village (long wait though)!
Sydney's most scenic run
I have had this run on my bucket list for about 6 years... in fact it was going to be the first half-marathon I would run, but fate had other … MORE
I have had this run on my bucket list for about 6 years… in fact it was going to be the first half-marathon I would run, but fate had other ideas and it was my 11th.
The weather this year was perfect, overcast, cool but not cold and the occasional breeze. The tradeoff for these perfect conditions was that Sydney was not it’s dazzlingly beautiful sunny self but I’ll take a comfy run any day.
The course itself was less hilly that I was expecting with the hardest of the uphills in the first 2ks up to the centre of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. This is the one morning per year the bridge is closed to traffic so it’s pretty special. The course weaves around city streets, makes a quick detour into Hyde Park before heading out past Darling Harbour into Pyrmont where you turn around and head back though Darling Harbour then through the new scenic Barangaroo Precinct before coming back under the harbour bridge glimpsing the finish line from the Overseas Passenger Terminal. From there it’s and easy 1k around Circular Quay and to the finish line at the steps of the Sydney Opera House.
In terms of swag there is a measly bottle of water, and medal and a newspaper at the finish line. You could pre-order post race meals in the botanical gardens for crazy prices. At registration you can order at race day singlet for the cost of postage ($6.50) it’s ok quality. You also get free public transport on the day.
I registered late at a cost of $120 so it’s an expensive run, but I guess that’s what you pay for the opportunity to run over the main deck of the Harbour Bridge, around an major city finishing at the Opera House.